Sam is a Korean-Australian artist from Western Sydney whose practice is driven by a lifelong fascination with curiosity, contradiction, and the search for meaning. As a child he was constantly drawing, building and making - trying to recreate the projects he watched on Art Attack, even if they never quite turned out the same. But it wasn't until he was twelve, when his older brother James introduced him to graffiti, that changed everything. The experience was, in his words, almost spiritual. It transformed not only how he thought about art, but how he understood the world around him.

Growing up amongst the multicultural communities and graffiti-covered streets of Western Sydney, instilled a sense of grit that continues to underpin his work today. What began through graffiti gradually evolved into a broader visual practice, fuelled by an insatiable curiosity that extends far beyond painting itself. Influenced by existential philosophy, mathematics, science and the natural world, Sam creates work that explores the strange intersections where these disciplines overlap.

Originally studying physics before completing a degree in mathematics, Sam has long been captivated by the elegance of systems, patterns and impossible ideas. Tessellations, chaos theory, infinities, paradoxes and mathematical ratios frequently find their way into his compositions - not as academic references, but as visual metaphors for the complexity of being alive. Drawing heavily from the writings of Albert Camus, Jean-Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir, his work often reflects on the Absurd: the tension between humanity's desire for meaning and a universe that offers no definitive answers. Rather than resolving this contradiction, his paintings invite viewers to embrace it with curiosity, humour and hope.

Visually, Sam's work balances bold colour, playful illustration and meticulously organised compositions with subtle moments of unease. He describes his style as "controlled chaos" - worlds that appear joyful at first glance, but slowly reveal layers of symbolism, paradox and philosophical inquiry the longer they are observed. He hopes viewers leave with a renewed sense of wonder, discovering new meanings each time they return.

Working predominantly in public space, Sam is drawn to the accessibility of murals and the opportunity to create moments of surprise within everyday life. His background as a youth worker has further shaped his belief that creativity is something to be shared, leading him to mentor emerging artists and facilitate workshops that encourage others to explore their own creative voices.

For Sam, art has never been a career choice so much as a necessity. "I can't help but make art," he says. "I think I would wither away as a person if I stopped creating." Whether painting monumental walls or developing new ideas in the studio, his practice remains an ongoing attempt to understand the beautiful, strange and often absurd experience of being human.